Vehicle spring suspension

ABSTRACT

A twin-axle bogie suspension having vertical axle carriers mounted near the end of each axle. The upper ends of the carriers on adjacent ends of the axles are pivotably linked to the extremities of a leaf spring which is rotatably mounted at its centre to a bracket. The lower ends of the carriers and adjacent ends of the axles are each resiliently pivotably linked to the bracket by a radius arm.

United States Patent 1191 1111 3,806,148 Boulton Apr. 23, 1974 1 VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION 1,701,558 2/1929 Drenning 105/197 R 1,526,410 2 1925 A 11.... 105 211 [75 1 Inventor Frederick Boulton 1,576,298 3; 1926 1313x2181. 105; 179 Ly Eng 1,868,173 7/1932 Low 280 1045 A Assigneez British Leyland Truck and Bus 2,096,530 10/1937 Alden 280/1045 A Division Limited, y g a 3,136,564 6/1964 He1se 280/1045 R X [22] Filed: 3, 1971 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza 21 Appl' NOJ 1 05 Assistant Examiner-l-loward Beltran Attorney, Agent, or Fzrm-Stowell & Stowell Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 5, 1970 Great Britain .37714/ ABSTRACT A twin-axle bogie suspension having vertical axle car- [52] 280/104'5 105/197 IDS/2B riers mounted near the end of each axle. The upper 105/218 A ends of the carriers on adjacent ends of the axles are [51] f Cl B603 11/12 B61f5/38 862d 9/00 pivotably linked to the extremities of a leaf spring [58] held of Search 105/179 182 R1 197 which is rotatably mounted at its centre to a bracket. 105/211, 218 A, 197 R, 213, 218 A; The lower ends of the carriers and adjacent ends of 280/1045 1045 R the axles are each resiliently pivotably linked to the bracket by a radius arm. [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 2,098,459 11/1937 Mcwhirter 1 21:

*ATENTEEH APR 2 3 I974 SHEET 3 UF 4 VEHICLE SPRING SUSPENSION This invention relates to bogie suspensions for vehicles.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings 7 of which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a four-wheel bogie according to the invention showing portions in section;

FIG. 2 is a vertical part section on section line II-Il of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of half a cross-member; and

FIG. 4 is a section on section line lV-lV of FIG. 3.

FIG. I, and in part FIG. 2, show one side of a four wheel bogie suspension for a lorry.

One bogie bracket 11 is shown (of a pair of such brackets) mounted on the outer face of a side member 40'of a lorry chassis. The inner face of the side members carrying the brackets, and so the brackets themselves, are spaced apart by way of a cross-member 25 fabricated from pressings and described hereafter in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4. The lower parts of the brackets are spaced by a welded cross member 26, which is triangulated up to the main cross member centre line. The bogie brackets are made up of two pressings 11a, 11b (FIG. 2) bolted together. For reasons of clarity of description, FIG. 1 shows only the rear pressing 11a.

Driven axles l2, 13 are carried at their outer ends in bearings mounted in carriers 14, 15 respectively.

The upper end of each carrier is pivotably attached to spring eyes at the extremities of leaf spring 16 made up of three tapered leaves 16a, b, c. If preferred a plurality of untapered levels may be used.

The leaf spring 16 is clamped at its centre to a trunnion 17 which is pivoted on a rubber bush l8 bonded on a centre tube 19. The centre tube 19 is bolted between the two parts 11a, b bybolt 20.

The opposite ends of the carriers l4, to those attached to the leaf spring 16 are attached by spherical rubber bushes 23 to one end of respectively radius arms 21, 22. The other ends of the radius arms 21, 22 are attached to the bogie bracket 11 also by way of spherical rubber bushes 24.

FIGS. 3and 4 show welded pressings made up to form the cross-member 25 spacing apart the upper end of the bogie bracket 11 from the other bracket of the pair on the opposite side of the lorry chassis. As the cross-member 25 is of symmetrical form about the longitudinal centreline 30, only half the cross-member is shown in FIG. 3. The cross-member is made up of two pressings 31, 32 which are welded together. Stiffening strips 33 are spot welded in the corners of both pressings. Four drain holes 34 (only three being shown) are provided in the lower pressings 32. The two lateral edges (only one edge 35 being shown) of the crossmember are bolted to the bogie brackets through the vehicle chassis side member 40.

Under vertical loads from the leaf springs acting on both bogie brackets the bending moment across the cross-member is substantially constant.

However, under any slewing moment from the four wheels (as when cornering for example) the bending moment distribution under horizontal loads across the cross-member reaches a maximum at the lateral extremities of the member. In this condition very high section moduli are required at each end of the member and as a consequence the X-shaped form of member shown (with a substantially constant vertical section modules) is derived.

Under loaded conditions the leaf spring 16 and trunnion 17 act as a balance ensuring equal reactions on the two axles 12, 13.

The configuration of the bogie suspension is such that the braking and driving torques are fed back into the chassis by the spring 16 and radius arms 21, 22 without causing weight to be transferred between the axles in the designed laden condition. Weight transfer due to braking and driving torques in other than design laden conditions are insignificant.

Three types of axle movement are permitted by this arrangement: I

1, spring deflection on vertical acceleration;

2. fore-and-aft articulation the axles can be displaced in the vertical plane relative to each other,

.- by the spring rocking on its trunnion and the radius rods pivoting on their rubber bearings;

3. cross-articulation diagonally opposite wheels can roll over the bumps at the same time, causing each axle to roll about its centre line, when seen in rear elevation. In order to achieve cross-articulation, the spring is twisted between its centreline and the rolled eye, and the radius rods twist on their spherical bearings.

Lateral location of the axles is by means of spring 16. The high slewing loads which occur on cornering with two-axle bogies are resisted initially by the resistance of the rubber trunnion bush 18 to coning. Rubbing plates 51. (FIG. 1) of hardened steel are interposed between the sides of spring 16 and the edges of the bogie bracket ll. When initial clearance between plate 51 and spring 16 is taken up during cornering the slewing loads are transmitted back into the vehicle frame through the rubbing plates. This construction yields a dampening or scrubbing effect on the springs 16 whenever they frictionally engage the rubbing plates 51 during cornering.

I claim:

1. A twimaxle bogie suspension for a highway vehicle which comprises:

a. a pair of bogie brackets adapted for mounting, with one bracket on each side of a vehicle chassis, on a common axis perpendicular to the fore-and-aft axis of the vehicle;

b. a pair of axles, each axle being disposed parallel to the common axis, with one axle in front and one behind the pair of brackets, adjacent ends of the pair of axles each having a common bogie bracket;

c. four axle carriers, one carrier being mounted at or near the end of each axle;

d. each carrier at adjacent ends of the pair of axles having a rigid radius arm pivotally linking the bottom end of the carrier to the common bracket, the pivotal connections on each end of each radius arm allowing relative vertical movement of the carrier with respect to the bracket and also allowing twisting movement of the carrier with respect to the bracket;

e. the top end of each carrier being pivotally linked, about a single axis parallel to said common axis, to one end of a common leaf spring which itself is pivotally linked at its center to the said common bracket;

3 4 f. a first cross-member disposed between the pair of rubbing plates so that the slewing loads are then bogie brackets and interconnecting them. transmitted back into the vehicle frame through g. each of the said pivotal connections between the the rubbing plates.

ends of each radius arm and said common bracket 2. A twin-axle bogie suspension as claimed in claim and said carriers respectively including a resilient 5 l in which the first cross-member is of cross-section bush which allows the radius rods to twist relatively providing the highest section moduli at the outer ends to the carriers and to the bracket. of the cross-member in the region of the bogie brackh. rubbing plates interposed between the bogie ets.

brackets and the side of each leaf spring nearest the 3. A twin-axle bogie suspension as claimed in claim bogie bracket so that slewing loads which occur at 1 in which the two bogie brackets are. also interconcornering are resisted initially by the resistance of nected by a second cross-member which is parallel to the said resilient bushes, deformation of which alsaid first cross-member and is located below the latter. lows the springs to move into contact with the said 

1. A twin-axle bogie suspension for a highway vehicle which comprises: a. a pair of bogie brackets adapted for mounting, with one bracket on each side of a vehicle chassis, on a common axis perpendicular to the fore-and-aft axis of the vehicle; b. a pair of axles, each axle being disposed parallel to the common axis, with one axle in front and one behind the pair of brackets, adjacent ends of the pair of axles each having a common bogie bracket; c. four axle carriers, one carrier being mounted at or near the end of each axle; d. each carrier at adjacent ends of the pair of axles having a rigid radius arm pivotally linking the bottom end of the carrier to the common bracket, the pivotal connections on each end of each radius arm allowing relative vertical movement of the carrier with respect to the bracket and also allowing twisting movement of the carrier with respect to the bracket; e. the top end of each carrier being pivotally linked, about a single axis parallel to said common axis, to one end of a common leaf spring which itself is pivotally linked at its center to the said common bracket; f. a first cross-member disposed between the pair of bogie brackets and interconnecting them. g. each of the said pivotal connections between the ends of each radius arm and said common bracket and said carriers respectively including a resilient bush which allows the radius rods to twist relatively to the carriers and to the bracket. h. rubbing plates interposed between the bogie brackets and the side of each leaf spring nearest the bogie bracket so that slewing loads which occUr at cornering are resisted initially by the resistance of the said resilient bushes, deformation of which allows the springs to move into contact with the said rubbing plates so that the slewing loads are then transmitted back into the vehicle frame through the rubbing plates.
 2. A twin-axle bogie suspension as claimed in claim 1 in which the first cross-member is of cross-section providing the highest section moduli at the outer ends of the cross-member in the region of the bogie brackets.
 3. A twin-axle bogie suspension as claimed in claim 1 in which the two bogie brackets are also interconnected by a second cross-member which is parallel to said first cross-member and is located below the latter. 